The Multisite Adult Drug Court Evaluation (MADCE) Conceptual Framework has six components:

1. Target Population Severity
2. Drug Court Practices
3. Offender Perceptions
4. In-Program Behavior
5. Post-Program Outcomes
6. Drug Court Context

Conceptual Framework

1. Target Population Severity
   • Drug Use
     • Addiction severity
     • Drugs of abuse
     • Drug use history
   • Criminality
     • Felony/misdemeanor charge
     • Recidivism risk — prior arrests/convictions
     • Opportunity to offend (street days)
   • Other Risk Factors
     • Health problems
     • Mental health problems
     • Employment problems
     • Housing instability
     • Family conflict
     • Family support
     • Close ties to drug users
     • Close ties to lawbreakers
   • Demographics
     • Age, gender, race
     • Marital status, children
     • Education, income
2. Drug Court Practices
   • Use of Legal Pressure
     • Severity of consequences for failure
   • Individual Court Experiences
     • Drug court participation
     • Drug testing requirements, practices
     • Sanctions rules, practices
     • Supervision requirements/practices
     • Prosecution involvement
     • Interactions with judge and supervising officers
     • Court appearances
   • Drug Court Practices
     • Leverage
     • Program intensity
     • Predictability
     • Rehabilitation focus
     • Timeliness of intervention
     • Admission requirements
     • Completion requirements
   • Drug Treatment
     • Treatment history
     • Days of treatment by type
     • Treatment requirements
     • Support services by type — offered and used
3. Offender Perceptions
   • Perceived Legal Pressure
     • Severity and likelihood of termination and alternative sentence
   • Motivations
     • Readiness to change stage
   • Understanding of Rules
     • Received expected sanctions and rewards
     • Understood expected behavior
   • Perceived Risk of Sanctions and Rewards
     • General deterrence
     • Certainty/severity of sanctions
     • Certainty and value of rewards
   • Perceptions of Court Fairness
     • Procedural justice
     • Distributive justice
     • Personal involvement of judge and supervising officer
4. In-Program Behavior
   • Compliance With Drug Intervention
     • Likelihood of entry
     • Number and type of drug test violations
     • Percentage of treatment days attended
     • Treatment duration and retention
     • Treatment graduation and termination
   • Compliance with Supervision
     • Court FTAs — percentage of scheduled
     • Case management FTAs — percentage of scheduled
     • Violations of supervision requirements
     • Drug court graduation
5. Post-Program Outcomes
   • Reduced Drug Use
     • Any, type, and frequency of self-reported use post-program
     • Results of saliva test
   • Reduced Recidivism
     • Any, type, and frequency of self-reported offending post-program
     • Any, type, and number of arrests/convictions post-program
     • Decrease in post-intervention incarceration
   • Improved Functioning
     • Reduction in health and mental health problems
     • Increase in likelihood and days of employment
     • Gains in economic self-sufficiency
     • Reductions in family problems
   • Post-Program Use of Services
     • Type and amount of drug treatment/aftercare
     • Type and amount of other support services
6. Drug Court Context
   • Community Setting
     • Demographics
     • Urbanicity
     • Drug arrest rate
     • Poverty/economics
   • Drug Laws
     • Mandatory sentences
     • Drug law severity
   • Court Characteristics
     • Court size
     • Court resources